CENAO-WR-OT November 4, 2022
PUBLIC NOTICE
The USACE-Norfolk District has prepared a draft Environmental Assessment to assess the potential impacts for work described below:
LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED WORK: The action being considered for this draft Environmental Assessment (EA) is located at the Great Bridge Reservation in Chesapeake, Virginia south of the Elizabeth River and the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal along Reservation Road.
PROPOSED WORK AND PURPOSE: The proposed work is the construction of the Elizabeth Field Office, a new field office/maintenance building at the Great Bridge Reservation.
The purpose of the proposed action is to improve current work conditions for the crew of the 104-foot derrick boat “Elizabeth” and to improve the ability to provide support to docked vessels at Great Bridge for mission needs. The existing building cannot support new mission requirements and has outlived its purpose. The new facility will provide power to docked vessels, supporting hurricane emergency procedures. In the event of an emergency, the Great Bridge Boat Basin will be an area for safe harbor of Corps of Engineers, Federal, State, and City Government vessels and, if space is available, private vessels. The new building will effectively support USACE employees and growing mission needs.
SCOPE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
This draft Environmental Assessment (EA) was prepared to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 United States Code [USC] 4331 et seq.), and the regulations of the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) that implement NEPA procedures (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 1500-1508). This draft EA has been prepared pursuant to NEPA and its implementing regulations.
The purpose of this EA is to evaluate potential impacts associated with the construction of a building at the Great Bridge Reservation. This document identifies and evaluates the potential environmental effects associated with the Proposed Action.
The draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment is being coordinated with the following agencies:
• City of Chesapeake
• Chesapeake Historic Preservation Commission
• Delaware Nation
• Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterways History Foundation
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency (USFWS)
• Nansemond Indian Nation
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• NOAA - National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
• Norfolk County Historical Society
• Pamunkey Indian Tribe
• Virginia Canals and Navigations Society
• Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (VDCR)
• Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ)
• Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF)
• Virginia Department of Historic Resources (VDHR)
• Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
• Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC)
• Virginia Port Authority (VPA)
COMMENT PERIOD: Comments on this draft Environmental Assessment should be by email (Teresita.I.Nadal@usace.army.mil) or in writing, addressed to the Norfolk District, Corps of Engineers (ATTN: CENAO-WR-OT (Nadal)), 803 Front Street, Norfolk, Virginia 23510-1096, and should be received by the close of business on December 9, 2022.
PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY: Comments and information, including the identity of the submitter, submitted in response to this Public Notice may be disclosed, reproduced, and distributed at the discretion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Information that is submitted in connection with this Public Notice cannot be maintained as confidential by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Submissions should not include any information that the submitter seeks to preserve as confidential.
If you have any questions about this project, contact Teri Nadal at Teresita.I.Nadal@usace.army.mil or call 757-201-7299.
Draft Environmental Assessment Great Bridge Reservation Field Office
Chesapeake Norfolk District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Public Notice Virginia USACE